Looking Beyond Scientific Discourse: Indigenous Knowledge As a Key to Climate Variability Adaptation in the Eastern Himalayas
Looking Beyond Scientific Discourse: Indigenous Knowledge As a Key to Climate Variability Adaptation in the Eastern Himalayas
Wednesday, 9 July 2025
Location: SJES031 (Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences (JES))
Distributed Paper
The intersection of indigenous knowledge and climate change is a critical area of study, particularly in regions where traditional ecological knowledge has long guided sustainable practices. This paper reflects on the role of indigenous knowledge systems in addressing the challenges posed by climate change drawing insights from an ethnographic study on climate variability and agricultural practices in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, an eastern Himalayan region of India. The paper explores how local communities use situated knowledge to understand and respond to shifting climatic patterns, with a specific focus on the indigenous agricultural practices.
The paper argues that indigenous knowledge, often overlooked in mainstream climate discussions, provides valuable insights into climate adaptation. Indigenous practices, deeply embedded in local cultural and ecological contexts, reflect a nuanced understanding of long-term climate patterns that modern scientific models may overlook.
The paper critiques the exclusion of indigenous perspectives from development models that prioritize technological solutions over community-driven approaches. It emphasizes the need for integrating indigenous knowledge into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Such integration, the paper argues, can not only enhance the resilience of local communities but also foster more inclusive, context-sensitive development policies.
By situating indigenous knowledge within the broader discourse on climate change, this paper calls for a paradigm shift in both research and policy-making—one that recognizes the expertise of local communities and promotes collaborative, multi-dimensional approaches to environmental challenges. Ultimately, this presentation seeks to highlight the potential for indigenous knowledge to contribute meaningfully to climate change adaptation, offering lessons for more sustainable and equitable development in vulnerable regions like Northeastern region of India.
The paper argues that indigenous knowledge, often overlooked in mainstream climate discussions, provides valuable insights into climate adaptation. Indigenous practices, deeply embedded in local cultural and ecological contexts, reflect a nuanced understanding of long-term climate patterns that modern scientific models may overlook.
The paper critiques the exclusion of indigenous perspectives from development models that prioritize technological solutions over community-driven approaches. It emphasizes the need for integrating indigenous knowledge into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Such integration, the paper argues, can not only enhance the resilience of local communities but also foster more inclusive, context-sensitive development policies.
By situating indigenous knowledge within the broader discourse on climate change, this paper calls for a paradigm shift in both research and policy-making—one that recognizes the expertise of local communities and promotes collaborative, multi-dimensional approaches to environmental challenges. Ultimately, this presentation seeks to highlight the potential for indigenous knowledge to contribute meaningfully to climate change adaptation, offering lessons for more sustainable and equitable development in vulnerable regions like Northeastern region of India.